Bava Kamma 76

מואבים עצמן לא כל שכן

in the case of the Moabites [themselves] should not the same injunction apply even more strongly? But the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: The idea you have in your mind is not the idea I have in My mind. Two doves have I to bring forth from them;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Moabites and the Ammonites, who must therefore be saved. ');">¹</span> Ruth the Moabitess and Naamah the Ammonitess. Now cannot we base on this an <i>a fortiori</i> argument as follows: If for the sake of two virtuous descendants the Holy One, blessed be He, showed pity to two great nations so that they were not destroyed, may we not be assured that if your honour's daughter had indeed been righteous and worthy to have goodly issue, she would have continued to live?

אמר לו הקב"ה לא כשעלתה על דעתך עלתה על דעתי שתי פרידות טובות יש לי להוציא מהן רות המואביה ונעמה העמונית

R. Hiyya B. Abba said that R. Johanan had stated:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Naz. 23b and Hor. 10b. ');">²</span> The Holy One, blessed be He, does not deprive any creature of any reward due to it, even if only for a becoming expression: for in the case of the [descendants of the] elder [daughter]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of Lot; cf. Gen. XIX, 30-38. ');">³</span>

והלא דברים ק"ו ומה בשביל שתי פרידות טובות חס הקב"ה על ב' אומות גדולות ולא החריבן בתו של רבי אם כשרה היא וראויה היא לצאת ממנה דבר טוב על אחת כמה וכמה דהוה חיה

who named her son 'Moab',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'From father'. ');">⁴</span> the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle, [implying that] while actual hostilities against them were forbidden, requisitioning from them was allowed, whereas in the case of the younger [daughter]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of Lot; cf. Gen. XIX, 30-38. ');">³</span>

אמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר רבי יוחנן אין הקב"ה מקפח שכר כל בריה אפילו שכר שיחה נאה

who called her son 'Ben Ammi',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'The son of my people' ');">⁵</span> the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them at all,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. II, 19. ');">⁶</span>

דאילו בכירה דקאמרה מואב אמר לו הקב"ה למשה (דברים ב, ט) אל תצר את מואב ואל תתגר בם מלחמה מלחמה הוא דלא הא אנגריא עביד בהו

thus implying that they were not to be subjected even to requisitioning. R. Hiyya B. Abba further said that R. Joshua b. Korha had stated:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Naz. ibid; and Hor. 11a. ');">⁷</span>

צעירה דקאמרה בן עמי א"ל הקב"ה למשה (דברים ב, יט) וקרבת מול בני עמון אל תצורם ואל תתגר בם כלל דאפילו אנגריא לא תעביד בהו

At all times should a man try to be first in the performance of a good deed, as on account of the one night by which the elder [daughter]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 216, n. 6. ');">⁸</span> preceded the younger she preceded her by four generations [in having a descendant] in Israel: Obed, Jesse, David and Solomon.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Ruth IV, 13-22. ');">⁹</span>

ואמר ר' חייא בר אבא אמר ר' יהושע בן קרחה לעולם יקדים אדם לדבר מצוה שבשביל לילה אחת שקדמתה בכירה לצעירה קדמתה ארבע דורות לישראל עובד ישי ודוד ושלמה ואילו צעירה עד רחבעם דכתיב (מלכים א יד, כא) ושם אמו נעמה העמונית

For the younger [had no descendant in Israel] until [the advent of] Rehoboam, as it is written: And the name of his mother was Naamah the Ammonitess.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I Kings XIV, 31. ');">¹⁰</span> Our Rabbis taught: If cattle of an Israelite has gored cattle belonging to a Cuthean<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., members of the mixed tribes who had been settled on the territory of the former Kingdom of Israel by the Assyrian king and who were subsequently a great hindrance to the Jews who returned from the Babylonian captivity to revive their country and their culture; cf. II Kings, XVII. 24-41; Ezra IV, 1-24 and Neh. III, 33; IV, V, VI, 13. ');">¹¹</span>

ת"ר שור של ישראל שנגח שור של כותי פטור ושל כותי שנגח שור של ישראל תם משלם חצי נזק ומועד משלם נזק שלם

there is no liability. But where cattle belonging to a Cuthean gored cattle belonging to an Israelite, in the case of <i>Tam</i> the payment will be for half the damage, whereas in the case of <i>Mu'ad</i> the payment will be in full. R. Meir, however, says: Where cattle belonging to an Israelite gored cattle belonging to a Cuthean there is no liability, whereas in the case of cattle belonging to an Israelite, whether in the case of <i>Tam</i> or in that of <i>Mu'ad</i>, the compensation is to be in full. Does this mean to say that R. Meir maintains that the Cutheans were lion-proselytes?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., they accepted some of the Jewish practices not out of appreciation or with sincerity but simply out of the fear of the lions, which as stated in Scripture had been slaying them; cf. II Kings, XVII, 25. ');">¹²</span> But if [so], an objection would be raised [from the following]:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Nid. VII. 3. ');">¹³</span>

ר"מ אומר שור של ישראל שנגח שור של כותי פטור ושל כותי שנגח שור של ישראל בין תם בין מועד משלם נזק שלם

All kinds of stains [found on women's underwear] brought from Rekem<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A place mainly inhabited by heathens who are not subject to the laws of purity and menstruation. [Rekem is identified by Targum Onkelos Gen. XVI, 14, with Kadesh; by Josephus (Ant. IV, 7, 1), with Petra.] ');">¹⁴</span> are [levitically] clean.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As the underwear might naturally be supposed to have been worn by a heathen woman. ');">¹⁵</span>

למימרא דסבר ר"מ כותים גרי אריות הן

But R. Judah considers them unclean, as the inhabitants [of that place] are mainly proselytes<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who are subject to all the laws of Scripture and whose menstrual discharge defiles any garment which comes in contact with it. ');">¹⁶</span> who are in error;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And have lapsed from the observance of the Law. ');">¹⁷</span>

ורמינהי כל הכתמים הבאים מרקם טהורים רבי יהודה מטמא מפני שהן גרים וטועים

from among Gentiles<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Those who have never embraced the religion of Israel and have thus never been subject to the laws of purity and menstruation. ');">¹⁸</span> they are considered clean. But [where they were brought] from among Israelites<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who as a rule do not expose to the public garments stained with menstrual discharge. ');">¹⁹</span>

מבין הנכרים טהורים מבין ישראל ומבין הכותים ר"מ מטמא וחכמים מטהרין שלא נחשדו (ישראל) על כתמיהן

or from Cutheans [after having been obtained from private places all agree in declaring them unclean.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For both Israelites and Cutheans are subject to the laws of purity and menstruation. ');">²⁰</span> But where they were brought from Cutheans who had already abandoned them to the public at large]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The bracketed passage follows the interpretation of this Mishnah given in Nid. 56b. ');">²¹</span>

אלמא קסבר ר"מ כותים גרי אמת הם

R. Meir considers them unclean,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For Cutheans in contradistinction to Israelites were, according to R. Meir, suspected of being lax in the matter of exposing to the public garments stained with menstrual discharge. ');">²²</span> whereas the Sages consider them clean, for [even] they<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e. Cutheans. ');">²³</span>

א"ר אבהו קנס הוא שקנס ר"מ בממונם שלא יטמעו בהם

were not suspected of being lax in [the exposing of women's stained underwear]. Now does this not prove that R. Meir was of the opinion that Cutheans were true proselytes? — R. Abbahu thereupon said: This was only a pecuniary disability that R. Meir<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who in other respects considered them true proselytes. ');">²⁴</span> imposed upon them, so that [Israelites] should not intermingle with them.

מתיב רבי זירא ואלו נערות שיש להם קנס הבא על הממזרת ועל הנתינה ועל הכותית ואי ס"ד קנס ר' מאיר בממונם ה"נ נקנוס כדי שלא יטמעו בהן

R. Zera raised an objection [from the following]: These are the damsels through whom the fine<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For seduction in accordance with Ex. XXII, 15-16, or for rape in accordance with Deut. XXII, 28-29. ');">²⁵</span> is imposed: If a man has connexion with a girl that is a bastard,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Deut. XXII, 29 and ibid. XXIII, 3. ');">²⁶</span>

אמר אביי כדי

a <i>Nethinah</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A Gibeonite, v. Glos. ');">²⁷</span> or a Cuthean.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Keth. III, 1. ');">²⁸</span> Now if you maintain that R. Meir imposed a pecuniary disability on them, why then not impose it in this case too,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By not allowing them to recover compensation for seduction. ');">²⁹</span> so that [Israelites] should not mix with them? Abaye thereupon said: